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| Sunday, 25 January 2004 |
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After three-month deadlock President-PM compromise in the offing by S. Selvakumar After a near three-month confrontation between the President and Prime Minister, commencing November 4 following the take over of the ministries of Defence, Interior and Media by the President, a compromise between the Presidency and the Government seems to be certain within the next few days. Well informed sources said that in the would be compromise, the President will hold back the Defence Ministry while creating a separate internal security ministry which will come under the government with wide powers vested in it to deal with all matters pertaining to the peace process. The Interior Ministry is likely to be handed back to the government with certain amendments to run it in a strict and exemplary manner to deal with the growing incidents of crime while certain institutions under the Media Ministry will be re-vested with the government with the President retaining a certain section under her. A gazette notification in this regard will be out very soon, sources said. Chairman of the UNP Malik Samarawickrema who heads the UNP team in talks with the President's team headed by Mano Tittawella, told the Sunday Observer that their latest round of talks held on Friday was very encouraging and after their next round of talks on Tuesday a joint statement would be issued. "Both sides are looking at it positively and how the current Memorandum of Understanding with the LTTE could be lawfully adhered to," Mr. Samarawickrema further said. Mr. Janadasa Peiris, President's Director General Media told the Sunday Observer that he learnt from the Mano-Malik Committee that proposals relating to the peace process and the Ministry of Defence were discussed extensively. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is said to have sent Minister Milinda Moragoda to New Delhi on Friday to brief the Indian leaders on the current developments and at the same time to get New Delhi's views on the situation. Moragoda will meet with Indian External Affairs Minister Yaswant Sinha and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's top defence advisors. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga had extensive discussions with Vajpayee during the recently concluded SAARC summit in Islamabad and according to diplomatic and political sources, the Indian leader had advised the President against holding any general elections at this juncture, but to reach a compromise with Wickremesinghe and continue with the peace process with the LTTE. While Moragoda will explain the SLFP-JVP alliance to New Delhi, President Kumaratunga told a TV interview on Friday that the alliance has reached an understanding on the peace process and a solution to the ethnic conflict would be found through talks and not by resorting to war. She also welcomed the LTTE stance that it would talk to any government in power irrespective of which party is in power. |
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